September 29, 2005

Marks' Versatility is Crucial to M. Soccer

By | September 29, 2005

Spending most of last year on defense for the men’s soccer team, you’d expect junior Tom Marks to fill a similar role this season. Instead, Marks, who moved up to midfield, is the leading scorer for the Red with two goals and an assist so far this year.

You might also guess that as a veteran player, Marks’ would have earned a fitting nickname on the team. Yet, his teammate and twin brother, Dan Marks, notes that Tom answered to “Twinkletoes” and “Tommy Twittlemouth” growing up.

“He’s going to kill me for saying that,” Dan Marks said.

While Marks has outgrown the “Twinkletoes” moniker, his feet continue to shine on the field for the Red. Playing on the right flank, Marks’ speed and skill with the ball make him a crucial link between Cornell’s defense and offense.

“The great thing about playing with Tom is his athletic ability. The guy has tremendous speed,” said freshman forward, David Browning. “More so than any other winger on our team, he can get crosses in, and he can really work the line well.”

Cornell’s strikers may love him, but opposing defenders have enough trouble just keeping up with him. In his most recent goal against Wofford last Friday, Marks scooped up a ball 40 yards out and easily split two Terrier defenders with a burst of speed.

“We knew from day one that he had a very high work rate,” said head coach Bryan Scales. “He’s got the engine for a couple of players, he can just run and run and run.”

For all his early success this year, Marks is quick to shift the spotlight from himself.

“I think I’ve just been in the right place at the right time,” said Marks. “[The two goals are] a testament to the whole team I would say.”

Marks has benefited from his move to the midfield this season, feeling more at home contributing offensively.

“My whole life I’ve played midfield or forward,” Marks said. “I didn’t mind defense, but definitely getting more involved in the offense is what I like to do.”

Although Marks’ athletic ability has given him a leg up on opposing players, it is the development in other areas of his game that has made him so dangerous this year.

“Tom has really improved tactically, knowing when to play and when to pass and when to take guys on,” Scales said.

Having his twin brother on the team has also helped. Although the two have different styles on the field, they share a competitive instinct that pushes each other in practice and makes the two a formidable duo during matches.

“They’re as competitive as any two players I’ve ever seen,” said Scales. “Talk about a competitive sibling rivalry – I mean they love each other, but they will kick the living bejesus out of each other in practice, and it’s the greatest thing you’ve ever seen.”

The Marks brothers also share a common love of fine cinema, each noting Dumb and Dumber as one of their favorite movies.

“I think Tom would have to be Jim Carrey,” Dan Marks said. “He’s a little bit skinnier, I’m a little bit more of a bigger build, and he used to have the same haircut as Lloyd Christmas from the movie.”

While Dan Marks may have an edge on embarrassing details, Tom Marks thinks he may have his brother covered one-on-one.

“He’s a good defender and he’s got some good moves,” Marks said. “But I don’t know [if he can match my speed]. I think I’d run right by him.”

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BySeptember 30, 2005

Midway through its 2005 schedule, the Cornell men’s soccer team begins a new season this weekend, playing its Ivy opener against Penn tomorrow in Philadelphia. While the Red’s 1-4-2 record this season is less than stellar, it is also irrelevant in Ivy play, where the parity of teams and seven-game schedule makes anything possible. The Quakers will provide an early test of the caliber of this young Cornell team. Penn’s 6-1 record so far this year has been good enough to earn it a ranking of 18th in the country. “It seems like they’re having a good year, but you know we’re not really too worried about them. As long as we go and get our stuff done and take care of our business we shouldn’t have any problems,” said junior midfielder Brian Kuritzky. “Penn, or UNC, Duke, it doesn’t matter.” Kuritzky’s attitude is indicative of this year’s team, which has shown no fear while competing against high quality teams like Furman and Syracuse. However, the booters will have to play up to their full potential to compete against a strong Penn squad. “[Penn’s] had a great start to their season,” said head coach Bryan Scales. “We’ll have our hands full against them, but the games in our league can go any way. Everybody’s pretty evenly matched and I think we match up well against them.” The Quakers lead the Ivies with 15 goals so far this season, yet none of the top six scorers in the league wear red and blue. Instead, Penn has relied upon a well-balanced attack that has seen goals from nine different players so far this season. “I think both teams are similar in that we both like to play pass-and-move types of soccer,” Scales said. “I think they’re pretty dangerous going forward.” Penn has been equally impressive defensively so far this season. Allowing only four goals this year, the Quakers hold a stingy 0.57 goals against average in seven games this season. Junior goalkeeper Daniel Cepero leads the Ivies with five shutouts. The Quakers’ defense is also much improved thanks to the addition of Maryland transfer sophomore Keith Vereb. Also, its tall back line should make Penn strong against the long ball. Like Cornell, Penn is young team, with 11 freshmen on its roster. One of these rookies, Mike Klein, is the leading scorer on the team with three goals this season. Scales expects the game to be very physical and intense, but feels the Red are well prepared from its previous matches. “The guys are very ready to play this game,” he said. “I think they’re excited to get the Ivy League season under way and take what they’ve learned in the first part of the season and apply it to [Penn].” Cornell also opened its 2004 Ivy season against Penn. Although matching up closely with the Quakers, the Red gave up two late second-half goals to lose, 2-0. Scales recognizes that this year’s Quakers will again be a tough challenge for the Red, but is eager to see how his team performs under the pressures of Ivy play. “We’ll go in as the underdogs, but we’re excited to be there,” he said. “Our guys will be ready to play.” Archived article by Paul Testa Sun Staff Writer

BySeptember 30, 2005

It was not until I attended a lecture given by a professor bearing an eerie resemblance to Seinfeld’s Newman (Wayne Knight) that I truly discovered the wonderful potential of the iPod. While Newman droned on about something I probably needed to know, I turned my attention towards having a conversation with a friend of mine. She was telling me how this was the first time she’d really known anyone in any of her classes. I told her that she wasn’t the only one and that most of my existence on campus is, truth-be-told, pretty solitary. In fact, if it weren’t for my iPod I’d look like a real lonesome loser. We then re-focused our gaze on Newman, who had worked up some nice sweat stains from standing still for so long. As soon as class was over, I popped on the trademark iPod headphones and exited the building listening to a typically enlightening cascade of Zach de la Rocha lyrics. As I ventured through the quad and looked at people walking in groups or at least by two’s, I realized just how crucial a social device the iPod is for those who meander Cornell without company. The iPod is like a newspaper or a crossword puzzle when dining alone. When you notice someone engaged in a paper, you think, “That’s what they chose to do.” In fact, they might even want to be left alone. However, when you look across Trillium and spy someone seated by him or herself, hurriedly devouring a meal while staring out the window you think, “Oh that’s sad, how lonely.” The iPod works in much the same way. When you see that forlorn soul hustling down the sidewalk, it is easy to assume he is just scurrying from class to class with academia as his only loyal companion. But give him a sleek, sexy iPod and equip him with those unmistakable monochromatic headphones and he is now grooving to class, not amused by the childish banter of the poor and musicless. However, an iPod is not just a crutch for the socially inadequate, it also serves as a powerful tool to exert control over one’s social experience. I’m sure many of you share in the delight of realizing that the special someone, with whom you shared a Saturday night, drinks, skin and a brief period Sunday morning, actually goes to Cornell. Maybe you even shared numbers, but then only out of courtesy for one another. Now you’re faced with the task of passing one another on a sidewalk, four feet in width, and not showing any indication that you’ve noticed each other. Without an iPod, you’re exposed and surely going to make an ass of yourself. But with the ability to retreat into the iTunes universe, it’s a breeze. You can get a little drumbeat going on your thigh, study that fascinating crack in the sidewalk and pass right on by. While the importance of avoiding that lovely lady with whom you shared in the joys of alcohol-induced impotence is significant, it pales in comparison to the iPod’s most rewarding advantage. On any given day, you may find yourself walking home or to the bookstore and wind up smack in the middle of Ho Plaza. There, you will invariably be accosted by hordes of people asking you to do anything from belly dance to handcuff yourself to a tree. Worst of all, you may be guilted into parting with the quarters in your pocket that you’ve meticulously calculated to be just enough to fund the laundry load, thus allowing you to finally wash the underwear you had on yesterday and are wearing inside out today. This can all be avoided if you’re careful to keep those headphones nestled in your ears before the peddlers in Ho Plaza descend upon you like the porno distributors in Vegas. The iPod serves as a social device, not only because it displays the fact you’re jammin’, but also because it advertises that you are a proud owner of the biggest must-have accessory since Uggs. I vividly remember the inadequacy coursing through my veins when I used to traverse Cornell with a discman in tow. I became adept at controlling my musical artifact without removing it from my jacket, so as not to be unmasked as a technological dinosaur. I might as well have had a record player strapped to my back, at least then I’d be in with the vintage craze. I even considered purchasing iPod headphones with the versatile Cornell card in an effort to perpetuate the illusion that I, too, was a subscriber to the latest Steve Jobs success story. Last year, I finally ascended from the dark ages and proudly donned a glowing white iPod with matching headphones. I couldn’t say enough for the convenience the device afforded me. After all, I suddenly had access to thousands of songs at all times and locations that I could scroll through with the touch of a finger. On top of that, I was now part of a major trend at Cornell that didn’t involve spray-on tanner. But it wasn’t until this year that my iPod truly came into its own. With the help of my pocket-sized music box, I can now cruise Cornell with little fear of an awkward reunion with a floozy of weekends past. But even if that reunion is unavoidable, at least I can hold onto my laundry money.Archived article by Brad HillSun Contributor